Loading an alternate OS onto a Chromebook will soon be much easier

[Shawn Knight]

Chromebooks have emerged as a serious threat to Windows-based machines over the past few years, primarily due to their portable size, inexpensive hardware and lightweight OS. The latter, however, is also one of the platform’s major drawbacks as a good bit of functionality is lost when you don’t have an Internet connection to tap into.

While it is already possible to run another OS on a Chromebook, the process hasn’t exactly been convenient. That’ll be changing in the near future, however, as the Chromium team is currently adding debugging features when a device is booted into developer mode.

This will, among other things, allow users to boot from USB and ultimately, allow for the installation of another operating system. While it’s unclear exactly which operating systems will be “supported”, one could probably assume that Linux, Mac and Windows are all safe bets.

Additionally, the new feature will allow developers to:

• Remove rootfs verification so you can modify OS files
• Enable SSH access to the device using the standard test keys so you can use tools such as cros flash
• Set both the dev and the system root login password to a custom value so you can manually SSH into the device

Of course, you’ll want to proceed with caution as if something goes wrong, you’re pretty much on your own.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/59393-loading-alternate-os-onto-chromebook-soon-much-easier.html

 

[Jad Chaar]

I wouldn't want to run OS X or Windows on such a weak machine... Linux might run fine though. That said though, I bet the OSes are being optimized for low power chips (ARM) as we speak.

 

[bexwhitt]

Getting a printer to run on a chromebook though not difficult to a techie would be confusing to a none technical person and will not even print if your internet is off.

The one I set up for a disabled lady seemed perfectly fast enough on chromeOS but with it being a celery CPU I doubt it would be any good on windows. At least it's not an Atom so it's got that going for it.

 

[SNGX1275]

I wouldn't want to run OS X or Windows on such a weak machine... Linux might run fine though. That said though, I bet the OSes are being optimized for low power chips (ARM) as we speak.

Wasn't there an article a week or so ago about how they are going to have i3s in some of them? That should be plenty good for 7.

Edit: found it: https://www.techspot.com/news/59289-acer-massive-chromebook-15-packs-intel-broadwell-processor.html

 

[loading]

"Chromebooks have emerged as a serious threat to Windows-based machines over the past few years,"

LOL

Working with an IT company for the past 12 years, I have yet to see a single Chromebook in the field. Plenty of Surface Pros however.

 

[Guest]

They're a threat in the low-end consumer space, where having a family makes the choice of three cheap Chromebooks or one Surface Pro for you.

 

[Camikazi]

Getting a printer to run on a chromebook though not difficult to a techie would be confusing to a none technical person and will not even print if your internet is off.

The one I set up for a disabled lady seemed perfectly fast enough on chromeOS but with it being a celery CPU I doubt it would be any good on windows. At least it's not an Atom so it's got that going for it.

I played around with a HP Stream 13 that has a Celeron CPU and 2GB of RAM and, to tell the truth, it runs very well for everything I tried to do on it. The new Celerons, while not the fastest, are good enough for the basic things a person would use a Chromebook or similar laptop for.

 

[Guest]

Surface Pro and Chrome books are for different things.

Chrome books are less expensive and can access website, Google Apps and Facebook, twitter and such and a lot of schools use them to allow there students to do homework on. You can also run Microsoft's web based programs.

Surface Pro are more expensive.

 

[bexwhitt]

I played around with a HP Stream 13 that has a Celeron CPU and 2GB of RAM and, to tell the truth, it runs very well for everything I tried to do on it. The new Celerons, while not the fastest, are good enough for the basic things a person would use a Chromebook or similar laptop for.

A celeron cpu is probably fine on a chromebook where less is going on and will start of OK on a windows machine but without constant tweaking on windows will soon crawl.

 

[Jad Chaar]

Wasn't there an article a week or so ago about how they are going to have i3s in some of them? That should be plenty good for 7.

Edit: found it: https://www.techspot.com/news/59289-acer-massive-chromebook-15-packs-intel-broadwell-processor.html

Ah yeah. I was thinking of the cheaper Chromebooks though. I guess they can make it only compatible with capable machines.

 

[captaincranky]

Why bother with this nonsense about installing a different OS on a Chromebook? Just buy one with Windows on it from the jump, and avoid bringing aggravation onto yourself.

You know, it does seem to me a noteworthy act of blind stupidity, to buy a "laptop kit". As in one which you don't want the OEM OS.

 

[Camikazi]

I have a few

A celeron cpu is probably fine on a chromebook where less is going on and will start of OK on a windows machine but without constant tweaking on windows will soon crawl.

I have a few Windows 8.1 computers running on Celeron E2140 & E2160s that bench lower than the N2840 and they work perfectly fine, even overtime without any real tweaking. Windows doesn't slow down all that much unless you are constantly adding in badly programmed crapware. Windows is getting better at keeping itself running overtime and can actually go without real cleaning as long as you don't fill the computer up with random useless programs.

 

[bexwhitt]

I have a few

I have a few Windows 8.1 computers running on Celeron E2140 & E2160s that bench lower than the N2840 and they work perfectly fine, even overtime without any real tweaking. Windows doesn't slow down all that much unless you are constantly adding in badly programmed crapware. Windows is getting better at keeping itself running overtime and can actually go without real cleaning as long as you don't fill the computer up with random useless programs.

I deal with consumer pc's on a daily basis and the ones without crapware of some kind are very rare indeed.

 

[Camikazi]

I deal with consumer pc's on a daily basis and the ones without crapware of some kind are very rare indeed.

That is true, but that still doesn't mean that Windows is at fault. Windows runs well if you take care of it but like anything else if you don't take care of it it will break down. I've trained (yes, trained not taught) my family what not to do to a computer and for the most part they listen and the computers all work well. I am starting to think that you should be required to take a test in order to own a computer but that would put a lot of techs out of business.